The school holidays are almost here, but the weather is more autumnal than summer, and those continuous storms aren't encouraging trips out of the house.

Soon our homes will be at full capacity all day long, particularly if one or both parents work from home.

The question that pops into our minds is: what makes a home suitable for such intense family life?

How can we design spaces where everyone can thrive, whether doing things together or independently?

There are a number of principles we apply at Studio 29 when working on family homes, whether they are flats, houses or maisonettes, and the first must be each family member’s right to privacy.

For a harmonious family life, we all know how important is for everyone to have some space to themselves and the option to spend some time alone.

A home office for the remote-working parent, well designed children bedrooms, a separate master bathroom, and a living room free of toys are a must when space and budget permit.

There are, yet, solutions we put in place to tackle the need for “a space of one’s own” in smaller homes and for smaller budgets.

We design WFH cupboards, with desks that disappear behind closed doors when not in use. We disguise toy storage as minimalist, low-slung units, so that in the evening the family room transforms itself in a grown-ups’ only area. And we plan en-suite shower rooms that are small in surface but big in comfort for parents’ who deserve at least one kids’-free zone for themselves.

At micro scale, we are big fans of door locks, bins and doors stops.

Here is why.

You might find redundant to fit locks on internal doors in a private home, but they are the smallest gesture you can do for future-proof your home.

Children will grow and develop their sense of self. House guests will multiply. Someone will throw parties, with or without you knowing, and you'll want to lock those liquors away. The possibility of locking a few doors will come in handy at some point in your family life. And nothing is more depressing than a surface-mounted bolt lock fitted as an afterthought.

Consider adding privacy locks to bathrooms, even if you don't think you need them. Your kids will appreciate them when they become teenagers, and so will some, if not all, of your guests.

On the subject of small details that make all the difference for a pleasant family life, bins are another fixation of ours.

Waste paper baskets by every desk, mini-bins in every bathroom, laundry baskets (with lids, please!), a well-organised recycling station, best if built in the kitchen, a designated receptacle for garden waste: these are among the unsung heroes of every beautiful home.

Nice-looking containers for waste and dirty clothes encourage tidying up. They also make cleaning tasks easier and keep unpleasant odours at bay.

Which takes us to two other tiny essentials for a fine-tuned family home: window stays and door stops.

Daily ventilation is more important than luxury candles and designer sprays to make your home smell good.

The action of opening windows and doors every morning for a good "change of air" is a ritual for the whole family to wake up and face the day.

Then make sure all casement windows have stays. Check your sash cords and fit floor or skirting board stops to each door that opens on to a wall.

The latters are a must for homes with small children and energetic teenagers.

Adults, can be careful and gentle when opening doors. Young minds, however, are far too busy and always in a rush to care about our paintwork! (Note the touch of maternal irony here.)

These are just a few of the small and big tips that come to my mind for a happy family home life.

I could write for hours about the little details and tricks that I learned during the last 20 years making beautiful homes for beautiful family living. This is what we are good at here at Studio 29.

I will come back with some more posts on this subject very soon.

Until then, enjoy your school holidays!